Camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, hunting, picnicking, and other outdoor activities may involve numerous pieces of equipment, such as, food and cooking equipment, safety equipment, electronic equipment (such as cellular telephone, PDAs, Blackberries, Global Positioning Devices, cameras, flashlights, and the like), clothing, towels, keys, wallets, eyewear, footwear, toiletries, trash bags, lotions, sprays, food lockers, first aid kits, or the like. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to find suitable and convenient places to store personal items and outdoor gear during the activities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,911, issued Apr. 12, 1994, titled PORTABLE HANGING SYSTEM FOR ATTACHMENT TO VERTICAL OBJECTS, discloses one way to provide places to hang equipment and the like. The '911 patent discloses a belt like device that can be secured around a vertical support, such as, a tree. Hooks attach to the belt. Equipment can be hanged on the hooks or the like attached to the belt. While satisfactory for hanging equipment, the '911 patent is difficult to use and transport. In particular, the device of the '911 patent is broken down and packaged in other portable equipment, such as a backpack, pocket or the like. The transfer of many loose pieces facilitates misplacing parts and the like. Moreover, while the '911 patent does provide limited ability to hang equipment or cloths capable of attaching to a hook, it does not facilitate hanging equipment that may not be connectable to a hook, such as, for example, a cutting knife, keys, wallet, medicine, lotions, sprays, cellular telephone, first aid kits, sunglasses or eyewear, or the like. Additionally, any devices hanged using the device of the '911 patent tend to hit, brush, or rub against the vertical support, which is typically a tree. Tree bark is a rough and/or abrasive surface and may omit tree sap. The rough surface and/or sap of the tree can cause increased wear, scratching, or damage to the equipment being hanged. U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,511, issued Mar. 6, 2001, titled PORTABLE HOOK HANGING SYSTEM FOR ATTACHMENT TO VERTICAL OBJECTS, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a similar system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,944, issued Oct. 9, 2001, titled METHOD OF FORMING MULTI-PURPOSE HUNTING APPAREL, discloses another type of equipment. The '944 patent discloses a backpack type device that is convertible such that the backpack straps can be secured about a tree, or the like, to hang equipment. The '944 patent, however, is bulky and providing a backpack with equipment for hanging tends to decrease the functionality of the backpack. Furthermore, it is difficult to modify or alter the '944 patent to increase or decrease the compartment or holding capacity of the backpack.
Thus, it would be desirable to develop a portable, foldable hanger attachable to a vertical surface.